Though silent, the other person slightly leaned closer. Autumn Ease caught a whiff of shampoo—hinting at... herbal medicine?

"Who... who is it? Why aren’t you talking?" Autumn Ease’s heart fluttered with eagerness and fear. He dreaded the moment the truth would surface, fearing it wasn’t the answer he wanted.

An icy hand tightly covered his eyes. Still no reply—deliberately silent, as if avoiding voice recognition.

"Hey, hey! If you won’t say who you are, I won’t hold back!" Autumn Ease rarely acted this bold.

He wrapped his arms around the other’s waist and swiftly lifted them into a bridal carry.

But it wasn’t the person he imagined... the girl from his dreams.

Not even a girl at all.

"Damn... Feng Yulan? It’s you!" Autumn Ease rolled his eyes hard, disappointment flooding him. His grip loosened involuntarily.

But the other panicked—dropping meant hitting the floor.

So he clung to Autumn Ease’s neck. They lost balance.

Their young bodies tangled together.

Right there in public.

Though Feng Yulan looked delicate, his short hair and faint masculine edges gave him away.

"Wooow—" Instantly, a yaoi fangirl shrieked.

"Amazing!" Just from her voice, Autumn Ease pictured stars sparkling in her eyes.

"Damn, Autumn Ease, what are you doing! You’re so heavy!" Feng Yulan pushed against his chest, but without leverage, he couldn’t budge him.

"Cough..." Autumn Ease’s face flushed red. After a second’s hesitation, he sprang up, brushing dust off his clothes as if nothing happened.

For a fleeting moment, he’d felt like he’d pinned down a girl.

Feng Yulan’s body wasn’t as soft as a girl’s, but for Autumn Ease—who’d never been intimate with one—it was soft enough...

At least, it satisfied his little curiosity.

Feng Yulan stood at 165cm, slightly shorter than Autumn Ease. Looking down, Autumn Ease could see the fine pores on his face.

"Phew, you scared me. Good thing we weren’t on stairs," Feng Yulan joked, unfazed.

"That’s your fault! I thought some girl liked me. Who’d expect it to be you!" Autumn Ease rolled his eyes, shifting blame.

"Alright, alright, stop joking." Feng Yulan, easily amused, laughed heartily while patting his shoulder. "I’m back in Hangzhou for once. Coffee?"

"Holy crap, I’m broke." Autumn Ease felt like a refugee saying it.

"No worries, I’ll treat you."

Feng Yulan wouldn’t visit without reason. They weren’t that close anymore—he likely needed a favor.

But Autumn Ease racked his brain—what could he possibly offer?

Walking side by side, Feng Yulan seemed familiar, but Autumn Ease felt distant. Five years had passed since high school.

"Starbucks okay?" Feng Yulan asked.

"Sure, you’re paying." Autumn Ease shrugged. Free coffee was free coffee.

This pauper stepped into Starbucks for the first time.

He scoffed at the bourgeois vibe, but the infamous prices kept him away.

Sure enough, coffee cost thirty-eight yuan a cup.

"Holy... robbery!" Autumn Ease muttered inwardly. "Costs probably less than two yuan to make..."

Even on someone else’s dime, he felt awkward ordering expensive stuff. He settled for the cheapest cup.

Nearly a hundred yuan for two coffees.

Autumn Ease winced inwardly.

"Rich kid, huh?" He patted Feng Yulan’s shoulder, chasing their student days’ carefree vibe.

"Just this once." Feng Yulan smiled, finding a seat. "They’ll call us."

"Okay."

Feng Yulan stared intently at Autumn Ease, making him uneasy.

"Uh... you’re not here to confess, are you?" Autumn Ease shrank back.

"Pfft." Feng Yulan covered his mouth, laughing. "Don’t be silly. I need to ask you something."

"Huh? Why not over the phone?" Autumn Ease scratched his head awkwardly.

Feng Yulan had grown more beautiful—almost like a girl. Eye contact felt awkward.

"I... um... I’ve been having strange dreams lately."

"Dreams?" Autumn Ease perked up, leaning closer. "What kind?"

GuanPeng had a similar dream—featuring a female Autumn Ease, Leaf Grace.

Could Feng Yulan have had it too? If so, maybe it wasn’t just a dream. Maybe something erased everyone’s memories—a sci-fi trope.

"Um... weird dreams... uh..." Feng Yulan fidgeted, cheeks flushing.

The awkwardness thickened.

"You don’t have to share uncomfortable parts."

"Well, something from my dream appeared in real life. I’m sure I never bought it." Feng Yulan pulled out a silver bracelet with a tiny bell—something a child or girl would wear.

"Are you sure you didn’t buy it and forget?"

"Absolutely! I’d never buy such a girly thing!" Feng Yulan’s voice rose, drawing glances. He lowered it. "My sister buys mature-style jewelry. She’d never get this."

"Maybe a suitor gave it to her?"

"She doesn’t remember. And I’ve lived alone for a while."

"An... ex-girlfriend’s?"

"No, it appeared after we broke up, on my pillow."

"That is... strange." Autumn Ease scratched his head. This reinforced his belief the dream wasn’t fiction.

"Autumn Ease, have you had such dreams?"

"Why think I have?"

"Because I dreamt about you too... um... though it’s fuzzy... maybe just a hunch?" Feng Yulan rubbed his temples.

"Well... I did have similar dreams. But nothing physical was left behind. Oh, in my dream, you were a girl, I think?" Autumn Ease recalled, chin in hand. "Can’t remember clearly."

"Is... is that so?" Feng Yulan seemed to believe him.

"Hmm..."

"By the way, what was Jin Jiahui really like in high school?"

"What kind of person?" Autumn Ease felt conflicting memories—two images of Jin Jiahui flooded his mind. "Huh, weird. Now that you mention it, he was both stingy and generous, cowardly and brave. Often beaten up, yet sometimes fighting off gangs alone?"

"I asked Brother Lei. He said Jin Jiahui was a tightwad and a coward, never fighting back when outnumbered."

"That can’t be right..." Autumn Ease scratched his scalp hard. "Old Hui taught me bravery... no, he didn’t... strange..."

"Right?" Feng Yulan felt kinship with a fellow witness. "Where is Old Hui now?"

"Heard he’s working construction sites. Dropped out after high school."

"Hmm... I asked classmates. They all remember him negatively. But I recall him beating up extortionists multiple times."

"Could you be mixing dreams with reality?"

"But I feel... the dream feels more real."

They fell silent, a mystery enveloping them.

"Miss Feng! Miss Feng! Your coffee!" A barista’s shout broke their thoughts.

No one moved. The café was nearly empty.

"Is that me?" Feng Yulan pointed at himself.

"Uh... probably?"

"Damn it." Feng Yulan slammed the table. "What’s this about?"

Autumn Ease followed him to the counter. Feng Yulan frowned at the barista. "Is this my coffee? I’m a sir, not miss."

"Ah, sorry sir." Another cashier rushed over. "I wrote it wrong."

Indeed, even Autumn Ease—clearly male—was labeled "Ms. Autumn."

This guy’s English was worse than Autumn Ease’s.

Luckily, he called Feng Yulan first. Autumn Ease dodged embarrassment.

"Hahaha—" Back at the table, Autumn Ease couldn’t resist teasing. "Miss Feng? Miss Feng? Pfft..."

Feng Yulan shot him a glare, fair cheeks flushing—whether from embarrassment or shyness, it was unclear.

"Miss Feng, where to after coffee?" Autumn Ease kept teasing, feeling like old high school days.

"..." Feng Yulan glared, eyes smiling but face stern. "Next stop: divorce!"

"Pfft—cough!" Autumn Ease spat out his coffee.